Mumbai, September 17
Mumbai shut down early today as its denizens braved sporadic showers in their annual ritual bidding adieu to Lord Ganesh.

The chants of ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya’ resounded on roads leading to the city’s water bodies as Ganesh idols of all sizes were brought in for immersion. As usual, the city waited breathlessly for the big idols that were brought in for immersion at around midnight.

Police officials said they would implement the ban on the use of loudspeakers after 10 p.m. and file cases against those playing music with or without loudspeakers beyond the permitted deadline.

Ganesh worshippers said they were disappointed.

Hyderabad, September 17
A laddoo weighing 21 kg has fetched Rs 2.08 lakh when it was put to auction on the last day of the Ganesh festival today.

The auction is held every year at Balapur Ganesh Mandap on the outskirts of the city before the Ganesh idol immersion.

Balapur sarpanch Shekhar was the successful bidder this year for the laddoo, the tradition of auction for which started in 1994, when it was sold for Rs 4,000. Last year, it was auctioned for Rs.2.01 lakh.

The laddoo, Lord Ganesha’s prasadam, it is believed, brings luck and prosperity to the successful bidder. Ten persons participated in the auction this year.

Speaking to the media later, Mr Shekhar said the amount realised through the auction would be utilised for renovation of the Hanuman Temple in the village and development of the gram panchayat.

Following the popularity of the Balapur laddoo auction, many Ganesh festival organisers in the city and outskirts started similar auctions this year. A 10-kg laddoo was auctioned at Shivrampally in Rajendranaar municipality for Rs 1.16 lakh on Thursday.

Mumbai, September 17
The Maharashtra Government has begun to shut down polluting industries along the Mithi river that runs through suburban Mumbai following orders by the Bombay High Court.

The Mithi overflowed its banks on July 26 this year following record rainfall flooding parts of suburban Mumbai and caused severe destruction.

Sources confirmed that the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) had ordered the closure of 57 industrial units that were found dumping untreated sewage into the river.

Of the 146 units that were issued show cause notices prior to issuing closure orders, 57 units did not reply and are being shut down.

Many of these units have sprouted up on the banks of the Mithi over the decades and are said to be legal.

However, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, who filed the public interest petition before the court contended that more than 3,000 units were illegally polluting the river. Mr Somaiya had filed his petition in 2003 and had very presciently predicted the calamity that befell Mumbai in July last.

According to environmentalists, the industrial units dump chemicals, garbage and waste goods into the Mithi, thereby blocking the flow of the river. Most of these units are run by migrants in Mumbai, who are not even aware of the river’s importance. Many of them thought that the river was just an open drain, according to the pollution control board officials.

Mr Somaiya in his petition contended that more than 1.2 million people lived in illegal encroachments on the banks of the 13-km long river and discharged about 5 million litres of sewage daily. 

New Delhi, September 17
The Election Commission today expressed deep anguish over charges of bias raised against it in the conduct of Assembly poll in Bihar by some political leaders.

Such “unwarranted and motivated” statements were aimed at maligning and creating ill-will against the commission, the poll panel said in a press note.

Responding to reported statements by “few political functionaries” alleging bias in the functioning of the commission, the EC said such allegations were deliberately designed to malign the fair image of the commission.

It said the commission considered beneath its dignity to respond to “those malicious and highly mischievous” allegations.

The EC statement comes in the wake of RJD chief and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad’s veiled attack on the EC recently that officers belonging to the Muslim community and weaker sections of society were being “victimised” and “shunted out” from the state ahead of the poll.

Chief Election Commissioner B.B. Tandon, who was in Bihar yesterday, reviewed the electoral preparedness in 10 districts falling within Kosi, Darbhanga, Saran and Patna Divisions going to the polls in the second and third phase.

Referring to the electoral photo-identity card, the EC said the percentage of such cards distributed was 72 per cent now and with photographs already taken, the total came to more than 78 per cent.

Meanwhile, the three-member Election Commission led by Mr Tandon will visit the state on September 21 for a comprehensive review of electoral preparedness for the four-phased poll scheduled to begin on October 18.

Chief Election Commissioner Tandon and other Election Commissioners N. Gopalaswami and Navin Chawla will go into the poll preparations in those districts where voting will be held in the first and second phases on October 18 and 26.

The ECs would have discussions with District Magistrates and senior police officials, EC sources said, adding notification for the first phase of polling would be issued on September 23.

Mr Tandon has already paid visited the state four times in the recent past to review the poll preparations.

The four-phased polling in the politically volatile state would be held on October 18, 26 and November 13 and 19 and counting will be taken up on November 22.

New Delhi, September 17
With the Bihar Assembly elections certain to witness a three-corner contest, the decision-making body of the CPI today met to finalise the party’s strategy, seat adjustments and campaign issues for the forthcoming poll.

The emergency meeting of the National Executive of the CPI will finalise the electoral alliance and seat adjustments with like-minded parties and its poll campaign, CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan told reporters.

The two-day deliberations will also discuss the current political and economic situation in the country and growing Naxal violence in Bihar and Jharkhand.

The CPI National Executive is the highest decision-making body which finalises the poll strategy for the Lok Sabha and the state elections.

The finalisation of poll strategies was the focus of the meeting, he said, adding that the CPI’s main objective was to defeat communal and fascist forces in the state. “We are not dividing secular votes. We are the secular forces,” the CPI leader said, seeking to dismiss charges that the proposed alliance with the CPI (ML), Ram Vilas Paswan-led LJP, Forward Bloc, RSP and SP, would split the votes of the Congress-RJD combine.

“We visualise a secular government that can provide good governance and development in Bihar. We’re presenting a genuine choice to the people of Bihar and we’re sure they will vote for us,” a CPI leader said. The outcome of the Bihar elections would result in the realignment of political parties and social forces and provide answers to several burning issues, the Communist leader added.

The Left parties had earlier acknowledged their differences in perception over the political situation in Bihar but maintained that secular votes should not be split in the October-November Assembly poll.

CPM general secretary Prakash Karat, after a meeting with leaders of other Left parties, had said the Bihar issue had been deliberated upon but the parties had different views on the approach to be adopted in the elections. “We, however, feel that secular votes should not be split,” he had said.

Guwahati, September 17
The ruling congress government in Assam plans a formal request to the Security Adviser to the Prime Minister, M.K. Narayanan, to release jailed ULFA leaders to facilitate the peace process.

Highly placed sources in the government said Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi would take up this issue with Mr Narayanan after his return from the US tomorrow.

It may be noted that earlier ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Barua had demanded the release of 10 jailed ULFA leaders to enable the banned militant outfit to take a concrete decision on the proposed peace talks by the Centre.

Out of the 10 jailed ULFA leaders, while six are in different jails in Assam, Anup Chetia is in Bangladesh. The three others — Asanta Bagphukun, Bening Rabha and Robn Neog — have been missing ever since the Bhutan operation to flushout the militants in 2003.

The Human rights organisation, Manab Adhikar Sangram Samity (MASS), has taken up the issue of the three missing ULFA leaders with the international body of United Nations on Human rights.

According to informed sources in the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, Mr Gogoi is not opposed to the release the six jailed ULFA leaders languishing in different state jails as a positive gesture to the outfit to facilitate the ongoing peace process. “The Chief Minister needs approval from the Centre before taking any such decision”, said a senior official.

Mr Gogoi has entrusted his trusted lieutenant and Minister of state for Planning and Development, Himanta Biswa Sarma with the task of coordinating with the 11-members people’s consultative group (PCG), constituted by ULFA to work out the ground situation for the proposed talks with the centre.

The Chief Minister favours a ceasefire by the ULFA and the Centre, both, like the earlier National Democratic front of Bodoland (NDFB) talks, to boost the peace process.

The NDFB, another militant outfit of Assam, recently had entered into a ceasefire with the Centre and the state governments.

Sources informed that with the anti-incumbency factor dogging the ruling Congress and the alienation of the minority following the repeal of the IMDT act of 1983, the Chief Minister desperately wants the ULFA-Centre peace talks to take a concrete shape during his tenure so that the party can reap rich dividends out of it in the coming Assembly polls.

Jaipur, September 17
The General Secretary of the All-India Congress Committee on Thursday (AICC), Mr Mukul Wasnik, and Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee chief, Dr B.D. Kalla, have alleged that about 80 persons belonging to the Sahariya tribe and other backward classes had recently died of starvation and malnutrition in Baran district.

The two leaders who toured this area of the Hadoti region under directives from the Congress President, Ms Sonia Gandhi, told mediapersons here on Thursday that the BJP government was insensitive to the problems of the tribesmen. They were deprived of employment and basic amenities of life. There were serious irregularities in the self- employment schemes under which the tribesmen were to be engaged in construction work, they observed.

Mr Wasnik said a dialogue with members of the bereaved families had disclosed that proper medical facilities were not available to them. He said several people expressed their anguish over not getting old-age pension, disability pension and widow pension.

Rejecting the allegations of the Congress leaders, government spokesman, Mr L.N. Dave said the Congress was politicising the issue. He described the allegations as calculated conspiracy against the BJP.

New Delhi, September 17
Union Agriculture Secretary Radha Singh yesterday expressed apprehension that the late monsoon rain in Punjab and Haryana could affect the standing crop in the state even as she stated that the kharif foodgrain output was expected to be 105.25 million tonnes according to the first advance estimate of kharif for 2005-06. This is two per cent higher than 103.32 million tonnes estimated in 2004-05.

Ms Radha Singh told reporters that the rains could be beneficial in some states like Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan where there had been late sowing. However, she expressed the apprehension that continuous rainfall in the past few days in Punjab and Haryana could adversely affect the standing crop.

She said these rains, however, could be beneficial to the rabi crop in dry areas as the downpour would help in retaining the moisture for the cultivation of the winter crop.

The Agriculture Secretary said these rains would be beneficial for the standing paddy crop at the grain formation stage.

On the production estimate, Ms Radha Singh said, “The overall kharif foodgrain production for 2005-06 as per the first advance estimate is up by 1.9 per cent at 105.25 million tonnes against the previous year.”

Talking to newspersons after the two-day rabi campaign for 2005-06, she said the overall foodgrain production target still was at 215 million tonnes for 2005-06, which include 110 million tonnes for kharif and 105 million tonnes for rabi.

Rice, the main kharif crop, was expected to be 3 per cent higher at 73.83 million tonnes as against 71.67 million tonnes last year, she said.

The production of Kharif coarse cereals at 26.44 million tonnes for 2005-06 was marginally below the production of 26.70 million tonnes in the previous year, she said.

“The overall production prospects for all crops except coarse cereals and soyabean appear to be bright,” she said.

As regards kharif pulses, the estimate for 2005-06 at 4.98 million tonnes is higher than that in 2004-05, which was 4.95 million tonnes.

The first estimates placed the cotton production at 15.9 million bales of 170 kg each, which is 6.5 per cent lower than 17 million bales last year. “The exact picture about the cotton output will be clear after three months when the second advanced estimates would come,” the secretary said.

For kharif pulses, the estimates stand at 4.98 millon tonnes, which is 0.6 per cent higher than 4.95 millon tonnes in 2004-05.

In the case of commercial crops, the production of groundnut at 5.94 million tonnes as per the first advance estimate for 2005-06 is higher than that in 2004-05, which was 5.33 million tonnes

The major oilseed crop, soyabean, is expected to record a 12.4 per cent decline in production at 6.58 millon tonnes against 7.51 million tonnes last year.

The total kharif oilseeds production in 2005-06 is marginally lower at 14.56 million tonnes than that at 14.94 million tonnes in the previous year. The sugarcane production this year is expected to increase by 10.9 per cent at 257.72 million tonne against 232.32 million tonne in 2004-05.

As regards cotton, the production is estimated at 15.90 million bales of 170 kg each compared with 17.00 million bales of 170 kg each in the previous year. The production of jute is estimated at 9.22 million bales of 180 kg each in 2005-06 compared with 9.64 million bales of 180 kg each in the previous year.

New Delhi, September 17
The Indian Council for Agricultural Research yesterday released six varieties of pulses - three chickpea, one fieldpea, one lentil and one mungbean variety - for different agro-climatic zones in the country.

A statement issued by the research body said the BGM 547 chickpea variety, developed from the IARI, has been identified for release in North Western Plains Zone (NWPZ) for late sown conditions.

This variety has been derived from mutation breeding after 20 years. The last such variety through mutation was released in 1985. The average grain yield of this variety is 1800 kg/ha and gives significant higher yield (mean superiority of 15. 84 per cent over all check varieties).

The medium maturity of the BGM 547 is of 135 days and is tolerant to wilt, root rot and stunt diseases. This variety is found suitable for cultivation in late sown conditions and also yields well under both irrigated and rain-fed conditions.

The agricultural research body said the IPFD 1-10 variety of fieldpea, developed by the Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Kanpur, has been identified for the release in the Central Zone and the Northern Hill Zone. It has yield superiority of 2100 kg/ha and is resistant to powdery mildew.

It is useful for all conditions, normal as well as for late sowing in Rabi and is suited for cultivation after harvest of Kharif crops. It matures in 109 days and has got wider adaptability.

The VL Masoor 507 lentil variety, developed from Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan (VPKAS), Almora, is recommended for the Northern Hill Zone.

It matures in 179 days and is adaptable to NHZ situation. So far no bold-seeded lentil variety has been developed for the hills of Uttaranchal and this variety would meet the needs of the hill farmers. It has significant yield superiority and higher degree of resistance against wilt.

During 2003-04, total pulses area in the country was 24.45 million hectares compared to 20.05 million hectares in previous year whereas the production was 15.24 million tones as compared to 11.24 million tones during 2002-03.